The Beauty That's Been
by AndSheWasBeautiful
Summary: Tidus/Yunie fluff;; ONESHOT;; Christmas Challenge;; Tidus explains Christmas to Yuna and she decides her favourite carol is the simplest. R


**The Beauty That's Been.**

**A _Final Fantasy X_ Fanfiction**

**By xxLilMizCaityxx**

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_I know there's something in the wake or your smile;;_

_I get a notion from the look in your eye;;_

_You've built a love, but that love falls apart;;_

_Your little piece of heaven turns to dark;;_

Somewhere along the way, the long, narrow road the you travelled together, the time came, and you celebrated like the rest of Spira. He was confused at first, and his azure eyes twinkled with that all too familiar confusion, making you smile in a way that no one had made you smile in a lifetime. He didn't understand what this was, what this meant, so you explained.

"Lady Yunalesca was born on this day," you told him, and he cocked a brow, that shimmering grin that he so often sported bright on his face, and your heart fluttered in a way you did not know was possible.

"So, it's your Christmas?" he asked you, and you frowned, gazing at him with questioning mismatched eyes.

"Christ-mas?" you asked incredulously, the alien word falling brokenly from your tongue. He nodded his head, golden tresses, so golden they made Rikku's look dull in your eyes, shaking lightly, as he leaned forth, that close proximity that he sometimes launched on you making heat rush to your face.

His smile was glittering, as his nose brushed yours, making your smile linger and your heart clench in joy that he devoted such attention to you and only you. His hand became tangled with your own as he tugged lightly, leading you from camp as he so often did, so he could speak with you in those hushed tones that he never used when confronted with your other Guardians. The tones he saved for your delicate ears, for he feared you would shatter like porcelain if someone mistreated you. The tones in which he told you stories from his land, and made your eyes dance and spirits soar that there was some world beyond the suffering and death that engrossed Spira.

And that night he wove tangled tales of wise kings and stars so bright all who saw followed, of a woman dressed in blue and a man forced to travel, and angels whose song was so sweet that it made a baby awake but never cry. And you were mystified, lost in his fairytale land of Zanarkand, so star struck in fact, that the sadness in his voice was oblivious to you. Your little piece of heaven turned to dark.

_Listen to your heart;;_

_When he's calling for you;;_

_Listen to your heart;;_

_There's nothing else you can do;;_

_I don't know where you're going;;_

_And I don't know why;;_

_But listen to your heart;;_

_Before, you tell him goodbye;;_

You knew that the end was coming. You chose to ignore it when he spoke to you, when he made you laugh, when he ran his fingers through your hair sending shivers of joy down your spine. You could hear something screaming in the back of your mind, but you disregarded it as cowardice. You refused to bow out from the task you had focused on fulfilling - even if it meant leaving him behind…

He insisted that you practiced this Christmas thing with him. Rikku did not practice any faith, not Yevon nor what Tidus spoke of - she watched as he taught you how to roast chestnuts over a fire, how to make wreaths from garlands of holly found along the way of the road, how to pick mistletoe and place it in a clever enough place that a kiss could be stolen. Because as he explained to you, lawful kisses were never worth stolen ones. So you permitted him to steal quite a lot, even though you had always been taught stealing was wrong - Tidus was the exception to this rule.

And then he taught you songs, and your heart cried out in sadness and the sheer wonder of his voice, and the pain you felt over having to leave him behind. He knew that you would die eventually - this journey was a perilous one, and death could not be escaped - and you thought that this was his way of pleading with you, begging you not to go through with it. If you had listened to your heart, then you would have known this was true. If you had listened to your heart, the pilgrimage would have ended the very night he pressed his lips against yours, regardless of the absence of mistletoe, in a spring so bright, it still dazzles your memory to think of it.

_Sometimes you wonder if this fight is worthwhile;;_

_The precious moments are all lost in the tide;;_

_They're swept away and nothing is what it seems;;_

_The feeling of belonging to your dreams;;_

You had a favourite of his carols. Your voices complimented each other in such harmony, you were convinced some divine being had interfered, ensuring that they were in perfect key to one another. Your carol told the story of a night so quiet, the heartbeat of your lover could be heard. No fiends stirred, no wars raged, no monster plotted to destroy children, families, homes. You would sing to him in the silence of the night, so quietly, he would lean in close just to hear your sweeter than honey voice, his eyes far away, where, you did not know. And you would wonder if this fight was worthwhile. You would wonder if, as he said, it mattered. Did it matter that you would kill yourself for them? Would they mourn you? Would they do anything but place a cold marble statue in a temple to be forgotten? Then Sin would be reborn. It would return and more would die, and another Summoner would perish, the spiral never ending. You let your guard down for a moment as you sang. And then remembered it was all worthwhile. Even for a little while, you would do all you could, to make your people safe. And as happy as you were with Tidus.

Before you could savour any of the precious moments you two spent, a fiend would interrupt, and you would be pushed to the side for protection, as he and your other fearless Guardians fought for your life with their own, wielding swords and magic so powerful it made others quake in fear of them. And then all would go to bed, Tidus picking up his holly wreaths, and mistletoe, promising to make a proper pudding with you, and earning a mistletoe kiss - as he had taken to calling them - before retiring to sleep. Your precious moments were lost in the tide, swept away like nothing was what to seemed.

And you felt like you belonged to your dreams, the joy and wonder and pain free world that only survived in the dead of night within your mind. The sanctuary you escaped to, and retold your Christmas tale of a land farther away than Zanarkand even, and a child that saved them all. And then you would think of Tidus. He alone did not belong to your dreams- for he was _real_. Something a dream could never be.

_And there are voices that want to be heard;;_

_So much to mention but you can't find the words;;_

_The scent of magic;;_

_The beauty that's been;;_

_When love was wilder than the wind;;_

He put up a tree in the camp, and you helped him decorate it, with Macalanian crystals salvaged from your trip, magic donated from Lulu and Al Bhed trinkets that Rikku insisted be added. The tree symbolized your journey so far, you thought - and soon it would die, just as you would eventually. Voices in the back of your mind repeated what they always did in your moments of doubt. You ignored them as you so often did, but made promises to yourself to tell Tidus everything you felt for him, everything that was relayed in your dreams and spare thoughts and mistletoe kisses. You decided that he was right. He had told you Christmas was a magical time, and the scent was in the air, as you were so quick to point out. He agreed with you, his smile making your knees shake and your breathing rapid, the scent of magic stronger than ever when he threw you looks that made your heart break all over again, or when he whispered words that stained your cheekbones a rosy pink, and made your spirits soar higher than any airship had ever dared to soar. Tidus and Christmas reminded you of all the beauty that had ever been, and on the morning of Christmas, when he pulled you to his side just beneath the tree, the rest of your Guardians at his side to exchange gifts, you blurted it out without thinking.

"I love you," you said, regardless of the stares from your Guardians, the roaring red blush on your face, or the joy in your heart. And his smile said it all, so bright, you imagined that the star in the story would have been put to shame, as his arms clasped around your shoulders and pulled you towards him, making your heart pound, as he gave you a mistletoe-less kiss, uncaring that you were being watched, uncaring that everyone now knew of your secret love affair that had left your mind spinning and you palms sweating.

Christmas, and stories, holly wreaths and mistletoe, chestnuts and trees and gifts that meant nothing and everything at the one time- made you think of him, and a love that was wilder than the wind.

_Listen to your heart;;_

_I don't know where you're going and I don't know why;;_

_But listen to your heart;;_

_Before;;_

_You tell him goodbye..._

And on that Christmas morning, when you forgot about tradition and manners and just kissed him in front of them all - you promised yourself that you would always listen to your heart as he had done with his. Especially before you told him-

"Goodbye…"

You never expected your promise, your oath, the thing you swore to yourself - to be turned so violently in the other direction - you hoped that he would listen to his heart, as he had taught you on your first Christmas, regardless of your age being seventeen - because then you would find him again.

And there would be many more Christmases to come.

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******A/N: The song that goes along with this fic is 'Listen to Your Heart' by D.H.T. The slow version :)**

**Well? How'd I do? This is for all you Tidus/Yunie fluff cravers out there you read my other story 'Final Fantasy X: Our Story' as well as you new guys. Different writing style. It any good? PLEASE let me know, I crave feedback.**

**This was written for the 'Final Fantasy Couples' community on Livejournal. You should check it out and get involved you guys, it rocks. I hope this was okay, and if anybody has anything to say about it, please let me know! Thanks!**


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